Q: It seems that every time I get on the scale, my weight is different. I hate weighing all the time but just can’t seem to stop. Is there any other way to gage my weight loss or change in body shape?
A: I’m with you! The scale can be very dangerous. I know people who weigh multiple times a day. That is insane. Well.....not exactly insane but obsessive.
Most people begin a weight loss/exercise program to lose weight or at least to change the shape of their body and to feel better about themselves. Inside and out. Since I travel around to help my clients, a scale is not always available. More importantly, unless it is a doctor’s scale or a very expensive commercial type, a Walmart sale scale is probably not very reliable. I try to dissuade my clients from spending too much time on this painful instrument of torture.
If you are going to weigh, it should always be first thing in the morning. If you weigh in the evening, you will always be heavier. If you weigh after a previous evening of Chinese food, you will probably be retaining fluids. If you are a pre menopausal female and it is time for your monthly cycle, you may hold as much as 3 pounds of water. If you weigh one day totally naked and the next day with your overcoat on, you will appear heavier. If you weigh at the gym, it is difficult to wear the exact same clothes everyday to make sure you don’t ad an extra ounce because one t-shirt is heavier than another. Maybe the earrings you wore yesterday weigh more than the pair you have on today. Why put yourself through this type of torture? The numbers on the scale become a consuming factor that rule your life.
When a person comes to me for guidance, we determine their needs, goals, schedule and routine.
If part of their goals includes weight loss, I tell them to go home and immediately try on some article of clothing that doesn’t fit the way they think it should. Put it on, get in front of a mirror, analyze how you look. Take some pictures if you like. Have your spouse or a friend help. Then take that garment off, roll it up and put it on the top shelf of your closet. Do not touch it for 30 days. I actually prefer 90 days but I know that most people have a hard time waiting that long. Take it down and put it back on. If you do not see a difference in the way that garment fits, you are not following the rules and you are cheating somewhere.
Even if weight loss is not one of the goals because you are already thin and just need toning, you will still see a difference in the way your clothes fit. Remember, muscle weighs three times as much as fat but takes up one third the space. The more lean muscle you put on your frame, the more efficiently your body will work to burn calories and you can consume more calories without gaining weight. I am 5'4", weight 140 pounds and wear size 4.
So, throw the scale out. Lock it up. Tell your spouse or your children to hide it. Get out those skinny jeans or those favorite golf slacks and try them on. If you are really serious you should see a difference in a relatively short period of time. Remember: You did not get in this shape overnight and you will not get out of this shape overnight. But don’t put undue pressure on yourself. Free yourself! Do it now before you have time to cave. You can break that addiction. Be strong. The withdrawals will subside quickly.
http://envisionfit.com/addictedscale.php
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